The Future of Search in the Era of Chatbots

The rise of AI chatbots may change the way we access information, and the nature of search engines themselves.

When people use a search engine, they’re usually looking for information. Sometimes they want to buy something, and sometimes they want to go to a website that they don’t quite remember the web address for. But most frequently, they’re trying to answer a question. The recent rise of AI-fuelled chatbots may change the way we search for information – because these chatbots are very good at answering questions. Which raises another question: if a user can ask an AI model for information in a conversational format, why would that user rely on a search engine that requires clicking on links and navigating several web pages?

“Search engines will have to interact with human beings as if they were human too; therefore, searches will become like a conversation between humans,” said IEEE Senior Member Euclides Chuma, whose work focuses on the development of human-centered systems.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF SEARCH

In the early days of search engines, users typed in a word or phrase, and the engine showed websites containing that phrase. It worked well for a while but had its flaws. For example, if you misspelled “bicycle” as “bicicle,” you’d get no results unless a website also made the same mistake. Search engines also struggled to understand what users really wanted when they searched. The search engine couldn’t tell if a user wanted to buy a bike or find the history of the bicycles. Now, 20 years later, search engines are much better, and smarter. They can find bike shops, fix spelling mistakes and understand unclear language. This is all thanks to AI.

A NEW WAY TO FIND INFORMATION

The AI that search engines use to connect users to information isn’t quite the same as the AI used by today’s headline grabbing chatbots. The chatbots, which are often referred to as “generative AI” because they can create new content, are able to answer questions with original content, rather than showing content made by others. It will also offer a result whether someone has made a website to answer that question or not. And since it’s conversational, it can give information in a way that’s easy for the user to understand.

The emergence of ChatGPT, holds immense potential in revolutionizing information search. ChatGPT’s ability to comprehend and produce human-like responses has already had a significant impact in chatbot technology, customer service, and language translation. Understanding the potential impact on search requires recognizing the limitations of traditional search engines. Search engines today are still heavily reliant on outside publishers to generate content that meets the needs of their users. And anyone that has used a search engine recently knows that, while they are remarkably good, the content they offer doesn’t always provide exactly what you are looking for. In fact, Google says that about 15% of all searches have never been searched for before. While engines like Google have transformed information access, their reliance on keywords and signals constrains their ability to grasp user intent. Consequently, complex or nuanced queries often yield irrelevant or inaccurate results. In contrast, ChatGPT possesses the capability to understand natural language and generate responses akin to human answers. This implies that users may receive more precise and pertinent outcomes, even for intricate or nuanced inquiries.

One problem with popular AI models is they sometimes make things up, called “hallucinations.” But IEEE Member Yale Fox thinks this will get better: “I believe that these models will improve in their ability to separate fact from fiction once algorithms specifically designed for this purpose are implemented.”

In the future, AI-fueled search engines might connect photo recognition with text search. Imagine someone wants to start a heart-healthy diet. An AI assistant could give guidelines for the diet, identify healthy foods from a fridge photo, plan meals and search the websites of nearby grocery stores for the ingredients needed. “AI models will observe user behaviour, interpret images and videos on the screen and proactively offer hints or assistance when users encounter challenges,” Fox said. “The next generation of multimodal AIs will seamlessly blend into the browsing experience, revolutionizing how we navigate and interact with the digital world.”

And that may be only the beginning, Fox said, as generative AI systems begin to write their own algorithms and optimize themselves in ways that humans have never expected.

ET Travel World Announces Mega Mice & Wedding Tourism Summit and Awards: Unleashing the Potential of India’s Lucrative Markets

New Delhi – ET Travel World, a leading authority in the travel industry, has announced its highly anticipated MICE & Wedding Tourism Summit and Awards. Set to be the most significant platform for MICE buyers, corporate houses, tourism professionals, event planners and wedding organizers, this event scheduled for 27th June, will showcase the immense potential of India’s thriving wedding market and its lucrative business prospects. The event that will kick off with interesting panel discussions, followed by awards and cocktail dinner in the evening, will be held at Pullman Hotel Aerocity.

Following a remarkable recovery from the pandemic-induced setbacks, the wedding segment in India is witnessing significant surge. Research indicates that the November 2022-February 2023 season witnessed an impressive line-up of 3.2 million events, a sharp increase from 2.5 million events the corresponding period previous year. Furthermore, spending in this segment expectedly reached Rs 3.75 lakh crore in the season, a substantial rise from Rs 3 lakh crore in the same time previous year.

The ET Travel World MICE & Wedding Tourism Summit and Awards will serve as the premier platform for industry players to forge meaningful collaborations with buyers, planners, and key stakeholders, facilitating business growth and fostering innovation. This exclusive event will feature enlightening sessions, top industry speakers and an esteemed awards ceremony to honour the trailblazers in the field.

“We are thrilled to present the MICE & Wedding Tourism Summit and Awards, a ground-breaking event that will bring together the best minds in the industry to explore emerging trends, engage in substantive discussions, and seize lucrative business opportunities. This summit will unravel the immense potential of MICE and wedding tourism, while the awards will celebrate the visionaries who have redefined excellence in the industry,” said Vivek Mittal, Business Head, ETHospitality & ETTravel, Economic Times Vertical.

Highlights of the event include:

Insightful Sessions and Expert Speakers: The summit will feature captivating sessions delivered by industry thought leaders, providing insights into the latest trends in corporate business travel and the growing grandeur of Indian weddings. Attendees will have the opportunity to engage in meaningful discussions and gain valuable knowledge from the industry’s veterans.

Exclusive Networking Opportunities: The event will offer an exclusive platform for participants to connect with buyers, sellers, and industry veterans. With over 200 delegates from across India and overseas, including travel agents, tour operators, destination management companies, and hoteliers, attendees can forge valuable partnerships and expand their professional networks.

Showcase of Products and Services: The summit will host an exhibition featuring a wide array of products and services relevant to MICE and wedding tourism. This platform will enable participants to explore the latest innovations, engage with industry suppliers, and discover new business prospects.

Attendance for the MICE & Wedding Tourism Summit – Corporate Travel Event & Conference is free of cost and open to Travel Industry Professionals. Interested individuals can register online through the official website, providing the necessary information. Upon successful registration, participants will receive a confirmation email with their event pass.

The event’s speaker line-up includes Ricky Bindra, Group President of Reliance Industries;  Sanjoy Roy, Marketing Director, Teamwork Arts; Vasudha Sondhi, Managing Director of Outbound Marketing; Sanjay Pai, Head of Corporate Travel at L&T; Celebrity host and anchor Roshan Abbas,  among other prominent industry experts.

For More Information please visit: https://travel.economictimes.indiatimes.com/mice-summit-and-awards

5 AIDC companies driving the Track & trace segment & bolstering the supply chain management

Incepted back in the 1950s, The Automatic Identification and Data capture,also known as AIDC is now implemented in a broad spectrum fulfilling the needs of broad-scale industries. In order to compete with the best-in-class businesses and adhere to industry-leading standards for materials management, AIDC is seen to play pivotal roles in the “Track & Trace” segment including Logistics, Retail, Manufacturing and Supply chain management.

The AIDC industry, which was valued at USD 46.31 billion in 2021 and is earmarked to witness a staggering growth rate of 15.2% from 2022 to 2029, reaching nearly USD 143.65 billion showcasing its relevance and demand with the leveragement of modern innovative automation.

The growth is due to its application and how it improves efficiency, visibility, accuracy, and traceability in supply chain management. It empowers organizations to make informed decisions, reduce costs, and deliver better customer experiences through optimized supply chain operations.

Here are the top AIDC companies driving the Track & trace segment & bolstering the supply chain management

Newland AIDC: Newland AIDC was founded in 1999 as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Newland Digital Technology ( Listed company, Stock code: 000997); with over 20 years of R&D in data capturing & enterprise mobility, Newland AIDC has become one of the leading companies in automatic identification and data capture industry.

Cognex: The world’s leading provider of vision systems, software, sensors, and industrial barcode readers used in manufacturing automation. Cognex vision helps companies improve product quality, eliminate production errors, lower manufacturing costs, and exceed consumer expectations for high quality products at an affordable price.

Datalogic: It is a global technology leader in the automatic data capture and factory automation markets, specialized in the designing and production of barcodes mobile computers, radio-frequency identification, sensors for detection, measurement and safety, vision and laser marking systems.

Honeywell Automation: Honeywell Automation India Limited (HAIL) is a ~$350 million+ company listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and the National Stock Exchange (NSE). It was incorporated in India in 1984 and its registered office in Hadapsar, Pune. HAIL is a leader in providing integrated automation and software solutions, including process solutions and building solutions.

Zebra Technologies: Zebra empowers organizations to thrive in the on-demand economy by making every front-line worker and asset at the edge visible, connected and fully optimized. With an ecosystem of more than 10,000 partners across more than 100 countries, Zebra serves customers of all sizes – including 94% of the Fortune 100 – with an award-winning portfolio of hardware, software, services and solutions that digitize and automate workflows.

New Online Tool Provides Guidance to CFP Professionals Seeking Certification Across Borders in Asia-Pacific

DENVER, COLO – 20 June 2023 – Financial Planning Standards Board Ltd. (FPSB) has launched a new online tool to help CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER professionals in the Asia-Pacific region understand the professional requirements they must achieve to obtain CFP certification in another territory.

“As individuals continue to become more mobile and financial opportunities increasingly transcend borders, there is a growing desire from the financial planning community to hold CFP certification, the globally recognized symbol of excellence in financial planning, in multiple territories,” said FPSB CEO Dante De Gori, CFP. “Given the nature of the global economy, FPSB is pleased to facilitate a cross-border tool to help CFP professionals in the Asia-Pacific region learn the requirements to obtain their CFP certification in a new territory to expand their practice and ensure their clients’ needs are met.”

As CFP professionals seek to relocate to other territories within the Asia-Pacific region, the demand for cross-border certification has increased. This demand, along with the request of clients, prompted FPSB, the global financial planning standards-setting body, and its Asia-Pacific affiliated organizations that administer CFP certification to develop the cross-border online tool.

“The creation of this new tool supports the global reach of CFP certification, helping CFP professionals learn the requirements to obtain CFP certification outside of their home jurisdictions, as well as move from one territory to another or work in multiple territories,” added De Gori.

For example, a CFP professional may make a temporary, job-related move from Singapore to China and want to obtain the CFP certification in China while maintaining their certification in Singapore to serve clients in both Singapore and China. FPSB’s online tool helps this CFP professional understand the requirements to obtain CFP certification in this way.

In addition to the requirements outlined in the tool, CFP professionals also need to ensure all territory-specific regulatory practice requirements are met, as well as any further requirements that may impact their ability to practice financial planning in that territory and/or in relation to holding CFP certification in that territory.

MasterClass Expands Learning & Development Enterprise Platform MasterClass at Work; Names First Chief Business Officer

The fully integrated offering brings world-class storytelling to professional development with new, exclusive product offerings

SAN FRANCISCO, June 20, 2023 – MasterClass, the streaming platform where anyone can learn from the world’s best, today announced the expansion of MasterClass at Work, its L&D enterprise offering, which provides companies with the most engaging learning and development materials through content taught by the world’s best in their fields. The expansion includes the L&D platform’s LMS integrations and new enterprise-exclusive content, Skill uilder and Paths, that addresses the needs of today’s leaders through active learning. The company also named its first Chief Business Officer, Nathan Smith, who will report into CEO David Rogier and oversee MasterClass at Work’s operations and the MasterClass L&D offering.

Smith brings over 20 years of experience building international SaaS businesses in the data analytics space by designing and delivering high performing ROI solutions for many of the world’s largest businesses.

MasterClass at Work focuses on developing durable skills in employees of all levels through emotion-based learning, designed to maximize knowledge retention, entertain and inspire. The bite-size content, immersive learning experience and employee engagement tracking allow businesses to match leadership lessons to their business needs. Current clients include Capital One, Deloitte, Microsoft, Block, Paypal and half of the Fortune 100 companies.

“There’s been a regression in soft skills post-pandemic. The world has changed, and the workplace has drastically changed with it. Companies are starting to see gaps in how employees among different generations communicate, lead, and collaborate,” said Nathan Smith, CBO of MasterClass. “The need for learning and development materials that make a real impact on behavior and an ROI to tie back to is now more important than ever, and MasterClass at Work helps companies bridge this gap.”

The platform will feature two new products, Skill Builder and Paths, both enterprise-exclusive learning experiences that focus on helping employees develop the skills they need to thrive in their role. Skill Builder and Paths feature multiple instructors from across the MaterClass catalog, bringing together the interdisciplinary expertise and diverse perspectives of luminaries, business leaders, artists, scientists and coaches to keep employees engaged and drive them towards a clear and measurable outcome.

• Skill Builder focuses on a specific skill or capability such as public speaking, leading a team and personal growth. Each Skill Builder is delivered as a 20-minute video, and includes a narrator as the connective thread between instructors.
• Paths start with a big challenge relevant to a role within the organization, and then outline the steps a person needs to take and the skills and mindset they need to develop to solve that challenge. Each Path includes active learning components like Playbooks, which support practice and application of learning, and Community
  Discussion, that are designed to foster critical thinking and feedback. Upcoming Paths cover challenges relevant to managers and people leaders including how to lead innovation, how to be a better decision-maker, how to think and act more strategically and how to build an inclusive team with world-renowned leaders like Bob Iger, Indra Nooyi, Richard Branson and Mellody Hobson.

“For most organizations today, employee success requires a holistic approach to learning – one that nurtures both emotional well-being and skill-focused development,” said Dr. John Scott, Head of Learning Design and Strategy for MasterClass. “By combining amazing storytelling with evidence-based learning design frameworks, we’re keeping employees engaged and helping them develop the skills they need to be more successful at life and in work.”

MasterClass at Work has also integrated with platforms learning management systems and learning experienced platforms including Degreed, which is MasterClass’ first integration with a Learning Experience Platform. The platforms unlock learning in the flow of work for employees and cultivate community through increased interactivity. Users can now discover and build learning experiences and programs with MasterClass content, including curated learning paths.

Users will be directed to MasterClass to experience the content first hand, with progress and tracking supported.
Recently released and upcoming class launches include:

• Mellody Hobson: Leveraging her experience in the C-suite and as a board member for Fortune 500 companies, including Starbucks Corp., JPMorgan Chase, the Estée Lauder Companies, DreamWorks Animation SKG and more, Ariel Investments Co-CEO, board director and philanthropist shares her tactics on strategic decision-making and how to apply a strategic framework to problem-solving to grow the leader within.
• Kim Scott: Bestselling author, co-founder of Radical Candor® and renowned CEO  coach breaks down her Radical Candor framework for soliciting, giving, gauging and encouraging feedback, cultivating an inclusive culture and empowering others to succeed.
• James Clear: The author of Atomic Habits joins MasterClass later this summer, as the world heads back to work and school, to teach the power of building small habits, work/life balance and a growth mindset.
• Amy Poehler: Launching in September, viewers will get to see Poehler like never before as she steps out of the chair and onto the stage, teaching a live audience how the principles of improv can be incorporated into business and everyday life to navigate work, life and relationships. Workshopping real-life scenarios with the live audience, viewers will learn how to tackle the world through flexibility, openness and humor. “In my class, I’ll share what I’ve learned throughout my career to help anyone who is looking to be open, curious, and ready for an unprepared life,” said Poehler.
• Jocko Willink: Former commander of Seal Team 3 takes members through stories from his special forces days and showcases how to apply them in the real world. Joined in a situation room with managers, executives and entrepreneurs, he demonstrates how these life-or-death moments can be applied to driving team engagement.

Surfshark hosted the Influencer Awards

Michael Henry, Mrwhosetheboss, and TomSka & Friends are among the winners

Cybersecurity company Surfshark hosted the first ever Influencers Awards to find out the best creators’ collaboration with the brand. A panel of 8 experts voted for the most notable partnerships in 8 different categories, from the funniest product integration to the best acting. TomSka & Friends were nominated in three categories and won awards in two of them.

“The popularity of influencers is determined by the viewers. Meanwhile, we wanted to recognize another, but equally important, aspect of their work – the partnership with business and the efforts made to build it and show it to the audiences. Working with the best influencers of the world, we’ve gained a lot of great partnership examples that we wanted to acknowledge”, says Giedrius Petraitis, Head of Influencer Marketing & Brand Partnerships at Surfshark.

To find out the winners, a panel of 8 international business, marketing, and digital media experts from Croatia, Estonia, Taiwan, Portugal, the UK, and the US voted for the best influencers’ collaboration with Surfshark. From a wide range of creators, the jury came up with a shortlist of 4 influencers in each of 8 categories and then voted for the best ones.

The following influencers have been declared winners:

1. Best Explanation of the Product – Mrwhosetheboss;
2. Best Storyline – TomSka & Friends;
3. Best Animated Integration – Greasy Tales;
4. Most Hilarious Integration – Michael Henry;
5. Best Use of a Prop – colinfurze;
6. Best Visual Effects – 超粒方;
7. Best Acting Performance – TomSka & Friends;
8. Best Original Song – WinnerMax.

All of the winners have gotten the specially created Surfshark award statue, the stylized surfing board. This is the first time in Surfshark’s history that the awards have been held, but the organisers hope to make it an annual event.

All of the nominations, winners, and the integrations can be found in the awards ceremony video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTvNo5N3RNM 

Operational Budget Challenges Bring Uplift to OT Risk Management, says Radiflow

Partnering with cross-industry players, Radiflow pools data sets that illuminate the full OT network and its vulnerabilities. “Relieving CISOs of tedious visibility gathering tasks grants them an extensive view to quickly deploy large-scale OT security operations,” said Ilan Barda, Co-Founder & CEO of Radiflow.

Tel Aviv, Israel, June 19, 2023– Radiflow, creators of the leading OT network cybersecurity platform CIARA, continue to see budgetary pressure as a main driver in prioritizing OT Cybersecurity projects. This has created opportunities for more partnerships across the OT Cybersecurity sector, resulting in greater flexibility and coverage in the analysis of OT networks.

CISOs of OT operational facilities, such as production plants, utility operations, critical infrastructure, and logistics centers, are facing a hostile environment where outdated machines are susceptible to attack for financial gain or political statements. In response, Radiflow recently released CIARA 4.0, focusing on illuminating the vulnerabilities of all network devices and mapping of the recommended security controls using a breach attack simulation (BAS) engine.

Radiflow has partnered with industry leaders to feed greater data into its analytics platform and provide quick risk assessment insights to help CISOs optimize and justify OT security budgets despite the overall pressure for budget cuts. One such major integration is with Awen Collective to conduct in-depth asset discovery for critical infrastructure networks. Awen Collective provides Dot, an OT Asset discovery tool with a lightweight nature that can be deployed in a scalable way on portable devices in distributed OT networks. The in-depth assets map generated by Dot can now be uploaded into Radiflow’s CIARA to perform a data-driven risk assessment and quickly provide accurate risk scoring for large industrial enterprises.

“The OT cyber security industry is maturing and better serving the needs of our critical infrastructure, manufacturing, and defense organizations by working collaboratively to deliver better solutions,” said Jules Farrow-Lesnianski, Co-Founder & CEO of Awen Collective. “Providing in-depth visibility of traditionally hard-to-reach OT networks using Dot to Radiflow’s CIARA significantly increases our client’s ability to quickly and accurately quantify and mitigate OT cyber risk.”

Another partnership is with Atrinet Networks, a provider of a Network Management System (NMS). The NetACE tool of Atrinet can query a multitude of network infrastructure devices and generate a map of the assets in the network for the Radiflow CIARA tool without requiring the configuration of a span port in the OT network switches, thus simplifying the initial risk assessment exercise.

“Partnering across the industry allows us to pool together previously unidentifiable data, enabling greater automation across the full OT network,” said Ilan Barda, Co-Founder & CEO of Radiflow. “Relieving CISOs of tedious visibility gathering tasks grants them an extensive view to quickly deploy large-scale OT Cybersecurity operations.” These capabilities bring them in line with automation and continuous threat analysis which are being increasingly required in the dynamic market landscape.

To support the sector’s growth, Radiflow has opened offices in Spain, Germany, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, and Italy, overall tripling its EMEA sales team in the last 9 months.

Beauty & Wellness Sector Skill Council Kicked Off a Countdown to Celebrate International Yoga Day

B&WSSC CONVEYED THE MESSAGE TO SAY YES TO YOG &i NO TO ROG

In light of the fact that it takes 21 days to fully form a new habit, B&WSSC kicked off the 21-day countdown to International Day of Yoga. Taking this momentum to the next level and to celebrate the onset of International Yoga Day, B&WSSC organized a morning Yoga session on 16th June’2023 in association with FICSI to spread the importance & awareness of Yoga in our ecosystem.

The 21-day countdown to International Day of Yoga was designed to create a habit of practice for individuals. This was to ensure that the knowledge and importance of Yoga is not only shared but also practiced.

The session was conducted by renowned yoga expert, Shri Amit Kumar Ji and his team members. They guided the participants through various yoga asanas. The event was attended by people from different walks of life who learnt the importance of yoga and the multiple health benefits it can offer.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Monica Bahl, CEO, Beauty & Wellness Sector Skill Coundil informed, “B&WSSC celebrated this day to carry forward the legacy of yoga, as well as the concept of EK VISHWA, EK SWASTHY – VASUDHAIV KUTUMBKAM. Besides teaching and practicing Yoga the session also aimed to instill a sense of unity and holistic well-being among all, in line with the famous Sanskrit mantra, “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” which translates to “The World is One Family.” By teaching this ancient practice, the organization seeks to bring the idea of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ to life, celebrating humanity and our shared sense of belonging and wellbeing. The event conveys the message ‘Say Yes to Yog, No to Rog’.

This is to be noted that by hosting such events, the Beauty and Wellness Sector Skill Council aims to create an environment that encourages individuals to stay proactive in taking control of their physical and mental health. The council is dedicated to cultivating an inclusive and holistic understanding of health and wellbeing. Monica Bahl ji further added, “Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji’s is dedicated to promoting yoga around the world. In addition to promoting yoga’s physical and mental health benefits, he is also committed to sharing the spiritual and cultural significance of the practice. His vision is to make yoga more accessible to people of all backgrounds. And in the end, the small steps we took today led us closer to his future goals.The beauty and wellness sector skill council believes that healthy practices and wellbeing can only be achieved through collective action and dedication. Therefore, the council is constantly taking initiatives to bring together a community of individuals who are passionate about leading a healthier life. Events like today’s are an important way for the council to foster that community and to raise awareness about the importance of healthy practices.

The Yoga event took place in Shriram Bhartiya Kala Kendra Building, Ground Copernicus Marg, New Delhi. The event was a complete success and left everyone feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. Everyone was delighted to learn the ancient art of yoga and how to incorporate it into their daily routine. The event was truly remarkable and left everyone feeling energized and revitalized.